This came out of the "Religion and Media" board over on RM.

Note that this board is specifically for discussion of music as part of the liturgy, and not for discussion of any other sort of religious music (such as " Rock").

Darn, the board ate something because it was in angle brackets. That should have read

(such as "[insert your religion here] Rock").

You mean songs like "Glory Be to the Father" (Methodist/others) used EVERY service ... This tune has always given me consternation

The words (methodist style)
Glory be to the Father
And to the Son and to the Holy Ghost
As it was in the beginning
Is now, and ever shall be
World without end
Amen, amen

1. The trinitarian viewpoint alluded to in this tune has probably been thouroughly blabbed about on the RM board, so I'll leave that one alone.
2. World without end ... ? Where did THAT come from? Maybe they are speaking of the new heaven and new earth ... if they are speaking about this little crusted ball in space, I can't read anything in the bible saying it will be never-ending.

'Bout the only thing I have in my collection that would fit this catagory is the Chant album by the Benedictine Monks from several years back. I may be a non-believer, but the disc is very relaxing.

Benn: I got that too! I also have a growing collection of Celtic music CDs.

[BEGIN RANDOM RANTS!]

Of course, some non-traditional liturgical music has become semi-liturgical.

There is a singer named Debbie Friedman who has put many Jewish prayers to modern tunes. Many Reform congregations use these during services.

Would these be considered liturgical? Just curious.

Changing the subject, I believe that much liturgical music is quite beautiful. For example, if you watch the West Wing episode, "Take This Sabbath Day", the background music is the prayer Hashkivenu. For obvious reasons I'm only talking about Jewish liturgical music here, but Kol Nidre is also a magnificent piece.

Remember also that many of Bach's works were religious in nature, though I'm not sure if they were for liturgy or not.

Everybody's doin' the Vatican Rag is my favorite piece of liturgical music. In second place is Bach's Contata and Fuge in D minor.

Vatican Rag is Tom Lehrer, and definitely not liturgical

Get into that long processional
Step into that small confessional
There the guy who's got religion'll
Tell you if you're sin's Original

Funny. And I don't know if Contata and Fuge was meant as a joke, or if you really meant Tocatta and Fugue in D minor (one of my favorite pieces). Is that really liturgical?

He must mean Ricotta and Fugue in D minor...

Bach's foray into cheese shop jingles.

I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to shoot you!

No, the Tocatta and Fugue in D minor is not liturgical. Though I like it anyway. I'd probably do something perverse like scoring a wedding using only minor-key organ fugues because I think they're really neat. (Can we tell that I'm never getting married, folks?)

Lately, the distinction between liturgical music and Christian Rock seems to be disappearing. This chills me. (Do other religions have this phenomenon, or is it unique to Christianity? This setting of religious songs in a rock/country/pop fashion? I even saw someone advertising a Christian punk band a few months ago.)

Debbie Friedman has become relatively famous for setting Jewish liturgy to contemporary style tunes. Some have actually been adopted by many synagogues. I guess that makes them liturgical!

Oh, and on the initial post, (apparently garbled), I commented that I didn't think this board should include "XXX rock", where XXX is some religion.

A lot of churches *do* use "XXX Rock" as part of the liturgy, though. (Perhaps some abbreviation other than XXX can be used? Because that gives me images even worse than I want to convey.) I go to Episcopal High School of Baton Rouge, where there is a recurring movement for some sort of "student chapel," wherein services are conducted entirely according to the desires of the students. Of course, the first thing to go is the traditional music, replacing it with guitar-driven contemporary tunes. Quite rightly, our chaplains laugh at the notion and point out that they are under absolutely no obligation to allow students to mess up our chapel services that way. (Okay, bias, bias, I know.)

At any rate, it does seem as though this is becoming a bigger issue lately, as more and more churches decide that this kind of music is acceptable in formal worship, which is kind of why I brought it up.